


Golden Butterflies

by xo_thefirst



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Gods!AU, M/M, Slice of Life, Unrequited Love, can this even be considered slice of life idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 06:32:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9708248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xo_thefirst/pseuds/xo_thefirst
Summary: Jongdae wonders if Baekhyun will ever know he loves him (and always will).





	

**Author's Note:**

> happy (early) valentine’s day ♥ this ended up being angsty and all weird-like. idek what sort of au this is supposed to be ;;

There’s a gentle fluttering in the air, the delicate wings of a butterfly beating hard against the soft breezes in the wind, and Jongdae smiles when he sees it’s a golden one. It’s rare, illuminating even in broad daylight, and he reaches out with a finger, holds it still, and waits for the insect to land on the tip of his finger without a care in the world. It’s Baekhyun’s, one of his little messengers, and Jongdae can see the words _Venice, Italy_ etched into its wings.

Within minutes, the butterfly disappears, fading into the air until there’s nothing left, and Jongdae hums as he looks around his surroundings. He’s in the mountains where a layer of snow has covered the earth and he thinks it looks beautiful. It’s pristine, with no evidence of tracks from animals or humans alike, and he remembers a time when it used to always be like this, where humans haven’t tried to destroy the earth one decade at a time with their pollution and disgrace for the planet they live on. It brings a sense of peace, where he can breathe in the crisp, chill air, and he takes one last lingering one, relishes in the silence and thoughts of _I’ll see you soon_ before he disappears in the blink of an eye.

When he opens his eyes again, he’s in Venice, Italy. It’s dark, signifying nightfall, and the city lights are as beautiful as the snow-covered land he was in seconds prior. It creates a different type of ambiance, one that’s warm and wonderful, and he wonders why Baekhyun has summoned him to a place such as this.

He turns, taking in the sight of the citizens around him, and he looks down at his own clothes of thick garments unsuitable for this city before he wills his clothes to change into something more appropriate, able to handle the warmer weather of the season. When he looks up again, he sees another golden butterfly, fluttering a few feet away from him, and he follows after it. There is a trail of them, hovering in the air before they disappear when he passes them, and then he can hear Baekhyun’s voice in the distance.

Baekhyun has always been loud, always been talking to anybody he sees, and it makes Jongdae smile to hear such a familiar voice. It’s been years since he’s met up with anyone, since they’ve decided to separate to keep their identities safe and a secret, and his heart warms when he turns a corner and sees Baekhyun talking to a woman, speaking a language Jongdae hasn’t mastered yet. But he appears busy, hands flying about everywhere as the woman laughs, so Jongdae stays put.

He watches the way Baekhyun’s lips move and twist as he speaks, the way he brushes his hair out of his face when it falls into his eyes, and Jongdae notices belatedly how Baekhyun has let his hair grow out back into its natural black color. He looks handsome underneath the city lights and Jongdae startles when Baekhyun suddenly slides his gaze over, almost feeling his presence, and connects gazes with his, watching as his smile grows even wider. Was he smiling too?

Within minutes, Baekhyun is waving his farewells with the woman. He’s wearing a simple tee and dark, ripped jeans, and it’s such a contrast to what they usually wear, what they’re _required_ to wear. Jongdae feels his breath get knocked out of his chest when Baekhyun finally meets him, golden butterflies flying all around them that only they can see.

“Took you long enough,” Baekhyun says, bright smile on his face. “It took forever for my butterflies to find you.”

“Well, taking refuge in the Alaskan mountains has it advantages,” Jongdae jokes, trying to hide his gasp when Baekhyun reaches out to card fingers through his hair.

“That explains why your hair is wet,” Baekhyun muses, corner of his lips tugging up into a lopsided smile. “All that snow had melted when you arrived.”

Jongdae’s breath hitches, watching as Baekhyun’s lips fully curve up into a smile of confusion at the sound. “Why did you bring me here, Baek? Where are the others?”

The hand gently fixing his fringe drops and Jongdae misses it the moment it’s gone, but Baekhyun rolls his eyes, taps his forehead gently with his knuckles. “Don’t you know what today is? Do you not follow human holiday traditions at all?”

Jongdae has no idea what Baekhyun is talking about, so he pouts as he looks around to try and figure out what human holiday tradition he’s talking about. “You _do_ realize with me living in the mountains for the past five years, it equates to me not knowing the actual date other than the year, right?” he says, humming when Baekhyun grabs his hand and starts dragging him down the street. He doesn’t see anything unusual with this city, other than the red hearts he sees in some of the store windows. “Does it have something to do with red hearts?”

“I cannot believe you,” Baekhyun says with a laugh, Jongdae turning in time to see Baekhyun’s disbelieving stare. “It’s Valentine’s Day, Jongdae! One of the best holidays of all because of the _chocolate_ that’s being sold!”

“Of course you’d like this holiday because of the human food that’s involved,” Jongdae teases with a smile, listening as Baekhyun greets people walking past them with a bright smile and a wave. He’s always been a people-person, always needing to be surrounded by someone other than himself, and he’s so bright next to him, so _alive_. “So,” he says, smiling brightly when Baekhyun does. “Where are these chocolates being sold? Mind you, I don’t have much money on me.”

“That’s okay. I have plenty!”

 

The butterflies accompany them throughout their journey through the town. Jongdae pays attention to the way Baekhyun introduces everything to him, even giving a brief history of the historic places they pass by, because it’s been a while since Jongdae’s visited Venice. He remembers a time when the clothes weren’t as comfortable as they are now, when the city was a little higher in the sea’s elevation scale than it is now, and Jongdae can’t help but watch Baekhyun talk with a fond smile. He’s practically glowing next to him and it blinds Jongdae into missing the uneven pavement in front of them, tripping accidentally, and making Baekhyun laugh softly instead.

By the time, they’re getting gelato and most of the stores have closed, they’re walking along the river, staring as the butterflies hover above it trying to find their reflections in the water. None of them see any, but Jongdae hears as Baekhyun coos out to them, reassuring them they’re as beautiful as the day they were born. It causes the butterflies to come closer to them, tickling Jongdae when one lands on his nose, and he feels his heart sing when he hears Baekhyun’s laughter, loud and deep and true, right next to him.

“Today is considered a romantic holiday,” Baekhyun quietly says, as they sit on the edge of a pier looking out towards the rest of the ocean. Jongdae watches the reflections of their legs kicking out childishly in beats. “I didn’t really want to spend another one alone and I figured you’d be off somewhere by yourself too.”

Jongdae hums, gathering as much, as he watched humans in pairs of two walking around the city earlier just like them. Some had sparkly jewelry on and others had flowers and he had wondered briefly if he was supposed to get Baekhyun one too, because he’s always liked indulging in the human treasures. He looks over to Baekhyun, who’s fallen strangely quiet, and stares as he stares out into the horizon, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

There isn’t much Jongdae can do with his abilities, but he tries anyways, holding his hand up and concentrating. He thinks about those hearts, those couples, and Baekhyun’s smile. “I had fallen in love with a mortal,” Baekhyun suddenly divulges, the electricity in Jongdae’s hand dispersing immediately at his words. “She had passed a couple of years ago, but it still gets me down when holidays like today happen.”

“I didn’t know that,” Jongdae murmurs, suddenly at a loss with what to do. Love isn’t foreign to any of them, but Jongdae has only ever loved one person and he’s very much still alive. His heart aches for Baekhyun. “Did you tell anybody else?”

Baekhyun shrugs. “Lu Han could see,” he says, before closing his eyes. The butterflies around them scatter slowly before they disappear. It’s darker without them near. “He usually sees everything, but he didn’t tell anyone else, didn’t think it was his right.”

Lu Han had always been courteous.

“I didn’t want to move and be alone again,” Baekhyun whispers, sighing afterwards, before he opens his eyes and a stray tear falls down his cheek. It glows as it travels down, before it separates and floats upwards into the sky. “One of the most romantic cities on this planet with no one at my side, and I couldn’t bear to move.”

“You’ve fallen in love with the city too,” Jongdae murmurs, wondering if it’s okay to touch, to gently guide Baekhyun to face him with curled fingers underneath his chin. “It’s a beautiful one.”

“It is,” Baekhyun agrees, lips tilting up into a small smile, eyes slowly focusing on the ocean in front of them again. And even when he’s down, sadness overwhelming him, Jongdae still thinks he’s beautiful. “Thank you for answering my call,” he murmurs and when he turns to face him, Baekhyun’s eyes are shining with his own light, making him glow underneath the moon’s beams.

“I’ll always answer your call,” Jongdae says, without any hesitation, because he’s always been there for Baekhyun in the beginning, when they first came into existence, and he will always be there for Baekhyun in the end, when they simply cease to exist. “Thank you for calling me.” He smiles when another golden butterfly appears out of nowhere, coming in close to give him a fluttering kiss on the cheek in gratitude. He loves Baekhyun, and he hopes he’ll notice one day, if not today.

**Author's Note:**

> also, because of [this](https://twitter.com/whatisabaekchen/status/828313337616166912).  
> come [find](https://twitter.com/xo_thefirst) me ;u; (i apologize in advance if i'm an awkward potato ♥)


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